The Professor's Daughter: Deathly Hallows
by K-yers
Summary: Entering her sixth year, Calla Snape is prepared for the worst. She's been given the job by Hermione to try and protect Hogwarts from Death Eaters. But how exactly do you protect a school full of people who despise you? Final story in Professor's Daughter series.
1. 1: All I Ask Of You

**A/N: Hello internet! Welcome to the sixth and final story following the grand adventures of Calla Snape. I've been waiting a LONG time for this story to rear itself onto this website, so hip hip hooray that we're actually here! Now, if you haven't read the first five stories, I highly suggest that you do otherwise you're going to be extremely confused. Don't say I didn't warn you. Now sit back, grab a snack, and enjoy reading the final installment of "The Professor's Daughter"!**

* * *

I paced back and forth along the fireplace. Draco Malfoy watched me carefully through pale and narrowed eyes. The Malfoy Manor was a nice place to be, if you redecorated it with more happy decor. Narcissa Malfoy was also pacing in the kitchen, not about to let her only son see her terrified out of her wits.

We were the ones that Voldemort couldn't spare in a fight. We was leading the attack against the Aurors tonight, who were going to be moving Harry to someplace safe. He wouldn't risk Draco in a fight because of some deal he made with Lucius. Narcissa wasn't even a Death Eater. And he was still testing my loyalty.

Meanwhile, Robert Castamere was drowning himself in sherry. I could smell the empty bottles from where I stood. He was still depressed from what happened a few months ago. Lucy had been killed right in front of him, and I didn't blame him for being upset. I tried to imagine what would happen if George was...

No; I was _not _going to think about that. I realized that I had stopped pacing and I started again, passing by Draco for the thousandth time.

"When d'you think they'll come back?" Draco asked me as I stalked past him again. Castamere slumped lower down the wall. I stopped, shrugged, and continued.

"I dunno, but I want to know what's happening. It's killing me not to know!"

Draco blinked. "Which side do you want to know about?"

I glared at Draco and he blinked and turned away. I left him and a drunk Castamere in the family area and disappeared up a grand staircase. I climbed it until I reached the floor made up of guest rooms. I unlocked the first room on the right and went inside my room.

I had been living here in the Malfoy Manor for ever since receiving the Dark Mark. Draco had been sort of happy to see me, even though things between us was tense due to the fact that I sort of helped him kill Dumbledore. No, that was Dad, I thought bitterly.

Lucius didn't really like to be in the same room with me so me never met up that much. Narcissa was slightly more welcoming than her husband and son, clearly remembering the time almost a year ago when I had comforted her about Draco. They were mediocre hosts but they were good enough.

I could only imagine what Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were thinking about me. I couldn't communicate with any of them in any way this summer, which was terrible and different, seeing as I spent most of my summer writing letters to Ginny. Rowling sat upset in her cage, not being able to fly to the Burrow at all. I was practicing sending messages via Patronus, but only Order members knew how to do that, and I didn't have anyone to teach me.

Throwing myself down on the bed, I closed my eyes and struggled to get some sleep. It was no use; even if I did get some sleep, nightmares about the lightning struck tower would plague me. So I pulled myself back up from bed and waited at the window with Rowling for when the black smoke trails of Death Eaters would return.

* * *

The Hogwarts Express gleamed scarlet through the steam and students and parents. It looked as it always should, but the scenery had changed so much since my first time seeing the train. Death Eaters guarded the train, scanning the crowd for Harry, Ron, or Hermione.

My three friends had gone missing after being attacked at Bill and Fleur's wedding. I had felt guilty about not going but I knew that there was no way for me to do so. Narcissa escorted Draco and I through the crowd. Some families took one look at us and backed away. I sighed and pretended that it didn't bother me.

"Don't worry if you've forgotten something," Narcissa told Draco, who looked mildly embarrassed to have his mother smother him. "I'll send it to you. Listen to Professor Snape and keep a lookout for any orders that might come your way." She gave Draco one last kiss before he ducked away and boarded the train. Narcissa watched him and turned to me.

"Calla, I want your word that you'll watch out for Draco this year."

Well, I wasn't expecting that.

"He's my son; my only son. He doesn't think of the consequences and I have seen you plan ahead. You helped him all last year and you were there for him when no one else was. Please, Calla, he thinks very highly of you. This is all I ask of you."

I blinked at Narcissa, a little shocked by her words. Then I nodded, just so that Narcissa could have some peace of mind. I was even more shocked when she stepped forward and hugged me briefly and planted a light kiss on each cheek. Then she nodded and smoothed out the creases in her dress before leaving as if nothing had passed between us.

I turned back to the train and stepped aboard. It looked like I had a new job to do this year: protect the school and keep an eye on Draco. Oh, and try and convince my old friends that they could trust me.

This would be one hell of a year.


	2. 2: Change

The train sped along the countryside. Everyone avoided me like I was the plague. So I got my compartment to myself. Or at least I did, until the glass door slammed open and I was suddenly faced with an angry Ginny. I had seen Ginny angry many times, but never was that anger directed at me.

Ginny took the seat right across from me and glared at me. Neville and Luna stood in the compartment. I looked at all of them with raised eyebrows until Ginny finally spoke.

"Were you apart of the attack on the seven Potters?" Ginny asked. I blinked and shook my head. Ginny narrowed her eyes. "Answer me!"

"No!" I snapped. "And before you ask about the attack on Bill and Fleur's wedding: no, I wasn't apart of that either." I said darkly. Ginny exchanged a glance with Neville and Luna before continuing.

"Do you know what happened to George?"

My stomach squeezed in an extremely uncomfortable way. George? What had happened to George? Images of dead Georges filled my mind and I could feel the fear and worry in every fiber of my being. "He's not..." I swallowed, not able to say the word dead.

Ginny deflated. "Thank God you feel that way about George. I could tell that you had nothing to do with the attacks because you didn't know about what happened to him."

"_What happened to him?_" I screeched, faintly surprised by the sound of terror in my voice. Neville flinched and Luna's wide eyes got even wider. Ginny widened her eyes but smiled slightly anyway at my reaction.

"He lost an ear." She told me. "Someone jinxed his ear off with Dark magic. Mom couldn't mend it, but the hole is still there so he can hear. To be honest I think he likes it there; I saw him stick his toothbrush in it the other day."

I collapsed back into my seat. True, George missing an ear wasn't the best news, but he was alive. That was what mattered.

Neville and Luna took seats. Luna sat beside Ginny and Neville took the spot right beside me. These were my three best friends; somehow they still trusted me. But I didn't think that they trusted me enough to know about the Dark Mark branded on my left arm.

* * *

The Great Hall had a sort of gloomy feel to it. Hardly anyone smiled and those did looked very forced. The ceiling portrayed the overcast and dark gray sky. The lights seemed dimmer than usual as well. It made everyone look grim and depressed.

The line of teachers at the head of the hall was stiff. Professors Slughorn and Sprout sat beside each other and were muttering to each other from the corner of their mouths. Professor McGonagall sat very stiffly between two sickeningly familiar faces. The Carrows sat on either side of her, and by the looks of it they were having the time of their lives jeering at McGonagall. But the Head of Gryffindor was ignoring them and her stern face was keeping a sharp eye on the students, as if reminding herself that she needed to protect them above all costs.

I took my seat down at the Slytherin table. As usual Tyrion Clegane took a seat on the other side of me. I opened my mouth to greet him but then Draco plopped his pale head down on my right. I stared at him; usually he only sat with his group of friends. Draco saw me looking and rolled his eyes.

"What? Stop staring at me like that." He scoffed. I looked at Tyrion, who shrugged. I felt someone sit down on my left and when I looked I saw Astoria Greengrass. She smiled warmly at me. On the other side of her, her older sister Daphne and her boyfriend Jaime Clegane sat down. I looked back to where Draco sat and looked over his shoulder; Pansy Parkinson and Crabbe and Goyle slumped down. And then Cersei Clegane and Blaise Zabini sat next to Tyrion.

Although I was shocked by the other Slytherins wanting to sit beside me, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at the same time. I had gotten so used to sitting either by myself or with only Tyrion. Having more than one person with me was kind of unsettling. I didn't have much time to continue pondering this because Dad stood up in front of the Great Hall to speak.

When I had heard about Dad becoming Headmaster, I was angry. _He _was the one who killed Professor Dumbledore. How dare he stood there, as if none of that had happened? Dad had explained to me that what he did was for the best, but it still didn't convince me that it was right to take the man's life.

The hall quickly shushed as everyone gazed up at Dad. I noticed several students and even some teachers scowling at him. I couldn't blame them; that spot was meant for McGonagall.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts." Dad said in an almost bored voice. "With all the commotion happening between school years, I'm sure none of you have become fully aware of our situation. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind students that those who break any rule what-so-ever will be punished _severely_."

Some of the students shuddered as Filch grinned evilly from the far corner of the room. I didn't doubt that Filch would have a blast punishing students who tried to disobey his precious rules.

"Also, I would like to introduce two new teachers this year. Professor Amycus Carrow will be our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," The frightfully plump man with the nose shaped like a potato stood up from his side of McGonagall. He received a scattered applause. "And his sister, Professor Alecto Carrow, will take over for Muggle Studies, which is a strictly enforced subject this year that every student must take." Alecto stood up as her brother sat down and blew a kiss at the students. I gagged.

"Furthermore, all students must come to the Great Hall by years and Houses during the first two weeks of lessons to prove their blood status. If a student does not show up, they will be found a punished in an extreme matter. We will begin with first years from Hufflepuff tomorrow at nine."

The students glanced nervously at each other. Some of them looked terrified. I could see Professor Flitwick looking horrified on his students behalf. I quickly scanned the Ravenclaw table and sagged with relief when I couldn't find Cameron Baker, a Muggle-born boy who lived on Spinner's End.

Dad continued. "I regret to inform you that all extra-curricular activities of any kind have been disbanded. There will be no need for students from different Houses socializing with one another except for lessons. If any students from different Houses are caught with each other, they too, will be punished severely."

He looked right at me when he said this. He was warning me not to get mixed up with anyone this year. I stared back defiantly until he turned away.

"Lastly, we have a guest staying at the castle for the time being. He is here to guard the castle, and for no other reason. Unfortunately, he cannot attend dinner with us and sends his condolences. Now that all matters have been taken care of, I'd say that it is time to eat."

The food filled our plates but no one hurried to eat it this year. Finally, after the moment of shock settled in, I grabbed some roast beef and put it on my plate. Hogwarts was changing, and someone Hermione was looking to me to keep it safe.

But how do you protect a school full of people who despise you?


	3. 3: A New Plan

I walked to class with Jaime, Astoria, and Cersei close behind me. The other Slytherins wouldn't leave me alone. At first I had thought that it was a nice change from always at each other's throats, but I think I'd rather be fighting with them constantly. Because all this friendliness was starting to freak me out.

Ginny and Luna quickly took seats on either side of me during Transfiguration. My three Slytherin followers saw this and sat down together right behind us. I watched them sit down and rolled my eyes back to Ginny and Luna.

"What's up with them?" Ginny asked, still eyeing them down. I shrugged and placed my chin in my hands.

"I have no idea and they're starting to drive me crazy."

Luna frowned thoughtfully. "Is there something that they want?" Ginny and I looked at her.

"What d'you mean?" I asked. Luna shrugged and got that dreamy look on her face again.

"Well, sometimes Daddy and I find that when people want something badly enough, they'll do almost anything to get it."

Ginny and I exchanged looks. Even though it was coming from Luna, it seemed like a good explanation. But there was only one thing that the other Slytherins would be interested in. My left arm twinged with pain. I did my best to ignore and tried to concentrate on what McGonagall was saying.

First year Slytherins were next to have their blood status checked. A line of them had formed outside of the Great Hall. Ginny, Luna, and I stopped walking to see it. The Hufflepuffs should be out soon...

The Great Hall doors opened wide and only twelve Hufflepuff first year olds exited the Hall. I frowned; there had been more of Hufflepuff first years last night. Where had the Muggle-borns gone?

When the Hufflepuffs left the Great Hall, the Slytherin first years walked in, looking less confident and slightly scared after seeing the faces of their fellow students. The Hufflepuff faces were sunken and looked haunted. some of them looked perfectly fine, a little shaken but fine. The Great Hall doors shut after the final Slytherin got inside. What was going on in there?

Luna stepped forward to a particularly small Hufflepuff boy who was leading his classmates along. "Are you alright?"

The Hufflepuff boy jerked and blinked at her. "I am; but I don't think my friends are." I stepped forward until I stood beside Luna.

"Can you tell us what happened?" I asked. The Hufflepuff shook his head sadly.

"Professor Carrow made us all take an Unbreakable Vow to never tell anyone what happened in there." He told me miserably. His friends behind him nodded sadly.

"Well, can you tell us what happened to the Muggle-borns?" I asked, trying to urge some answers out of these kids. The Hufflepuffs all exchanged gloomy looks and shook their heads.

"Professor Carrow made you take _another _Unbreakable Vow?" Ginny asked, stepping forward. The lead Hufflepuff boy shook his head again but didn't speak. I wanted to shake the answer out of him.

"Those who were confirmed Muggle-born were taken to a door at the back of the Great Hall. The other Carrow took them back there. But then she'd come back and the Muggle-borns wouldn't be with her." His voice cut off.

"Thank you for letting us know," I said. The Hufflepuff nodded and led his poor friends away with him. I turned to Luna and Ginny. "Well, that got us almost nowhere."

Luna shrugged. "We know that they separated the Muggle-borns from the other students."

"Yeah, but what for?" Ginny asked. "D'you think they'll send them somewhere?"

I nodded thoughtfully. "Most likely. But I'm worried about where exactly they're planning on taking them." Ginny and Luna exchanged a nervous look and we waited for the Slytherin first years to exit the Great Hall.

* * *

None of the Slytherin first years had been taken. And just like the Hufflepuffs, they couldn't tell us anything about what happened. We watched with frustration as the Ravenclaw first years entered the Great Hall with confidence after seeing the Slytherins leave unscathed.

Maybe what happened to the Hufflepuffs only happened when there were Hufflepuffs. That's why the Slytherins seemed fine with it all. But underneath that cockiness, I could tell that they were all extremely shaky. Whatever the Carrows were doing in there, it wasn't good.

The Ravenclaws were just as shaky as the Hufflepuffs, if not more. I think that more Muggle-borns would be Sorted into Gryffindor, but so far Ravenclaw showed the biggest number of missing Muggle-borns. And on top of all that, they couldn't tell us a darn thing either.

As the Gryffindors entered the Great Hall, I was angry and worried out of my mind. The Carrows were doing something terrible and they were getting away with it. And because they were professors, they could do it and none of the other professors could stop them. Except for Dad, but I doubted that he wanted to help Muggle-borns in any way.

The Gryffindors suffered the biggest loss. They had entered the Great Hall with twenty new first years and had left with thirteen. And like the rest, they had been forced into secrecy. I threw my hands into the air with frustration as they walked to the Gryffindor Tower.

"This isn't going to work if we keep doing it this way." I said. "If we really want to know what's happening, then we need to send someone in there."

"But who?" Ginny asked with frustration. "By the time any of us get in there, these tests or whatever will be almost finished."

"I think I know someone," Luna said dreamily and before Ginny and I could object, she flounced off. Ginny and I waited for a good thirty minutes in which the Carrows were supposed to be taking a break before starting with the Hufflepuff second years. A line of them had formed outside the doors when Luna returned with a very familiar face.

"Ginny, Calla, this is Kayla Summerfell." Luna announced calmly. "She's a third year in Ravenclaw and said that she'd like to help us."

Summerfell looked into my eyes and nodded determinedly. I remembered the little girl I had met in Dad's office. he had been in detention for throwing frogspawn at his head. I had had to take her, Tyrion, and Cameron back to their Common Rooms back when the D.A was thriving.

"Are you sure?" I asked. Summerfell nodded again, more firmly this time.

"I want to know what's happening to," Summerfell said. "And I'll make sure that I don't get caught."

Ginny, Luna, and I all exchanged looks and nodded. We pulled the thirteen year old into an abandoned classroom and went over the plan with her. Hopefully this worked; we were risking a thirteen year old's health and if this didn't work, odds are that we would all go down in flames.


	4. 4: Purest Blood

The next day it was time for the third year Ravenclaws to go have their blood statuses checked. Summerfell was a pure-blood, so that was a load off our shoulders. But Summerfell just had to make sure that she didn't make the Unbreakable Vow.

Ginny, Luna, and I paced impatiently while Summerfell went inside the Great Hall. After thirty minutes the Gryffindor third years started to line up. Then the Ravenclaws appeared from inside and were led by Summerfell. She walked past us and into the abandoned classroom we told her to go to. We waited five minutes before going in after her.

Summerfell looked shaken. Luna led the way back to her fellow Ravenclaw. "Kayla, what happened in there?" Luna asked in a voice that was very different then her usual dreamy voice.

"It wasn't good, I'll tell you that," Summerfell said. "The guy Carrow-I forget his name-he was the one testing the students. He'd press his wand against everyone's arm and somehow it told him what your blood status was. Those who had Muggle blood in their system would scream. They would scream as if they were set of fire..." Summerfell shivered.

"Then what?" Ginny asked.

"Those who had Muggle blood were taken by the other Carrow. She took them into a door at the end of the Great Hall and I haven't seen them since." Summerfell said. "The only reason I got away from that Unbreakable Vow was because I told him that he had already given it to me." She paused. "I'm surprised that he bought that."

I exchanged looks with Ginny and Luna. Summerfell did a good job and I told her that. Summerfell beamed and left, making sure that the coast was clear. I turned back to Luna and Ginny.

"What now?" Luna asked. I realized with a jolt that they were both looking at me for the answer. I didn't know exactly what to tell them, but I had to try.

"We'll have to wait until it's our turn. And in the meantime, we have to find where that room is."

"I think I know the room that Kayla was talking about," Ginny said. "t must be the same room that the Triwizard champions had to go into. You know, when they were first selected?"

"Is there another way into the room?" I asked. I felt my heart sink as Ginny shook her head.

"I think there's only one door," Ginny said. "I had to go in there once with my parents when we visited Harry before the final task."

I stared at Ginny. "Do you remember that room? Specifics, I mean." Ginny frowned.

"I guess; there was a lot of stuff but I remember lots about it."

"Was there a tapestry in there with magpies on it?"

* * *

The magpie tunnels were deadly silent. Lit torches shone brightly on the stone walls did nothing for my mood. I had found the tunnel beside the Room of Requirement and entered the tunnels through there. Ginny and Luna had stayed behind to make sure that no one saw me enter the tunnels. And I had spent the good part of twenty minutes trying to maneuver my way through the tunnels. George had never given me any kind of map of this place.

I popped my head into another door and felt hope ignite inside of me. This was the room that Ginny had described. I carefully slid inside the room from behind the tapestry, just in case that someone else was in here. But other than the flickering flames, there wasn't any other noise.

I ducked behind a cabinet that looked similar to the one in the Room of Requirement. But it had different markings on it, so it wasn't the same. I peeked out from behind it and saw the fourth year Muggle-born Gryffindors who were back here. I thought about sneaking them out of here, but then again, if I did get them out, Alecto would figure out soon enough who let them go. I just couldn't free them at the moment.

There was only a ten minute wait until Alecto Carrow entered the room again, but she didn't have a Muggle-born with her. She had an evil smile on her pig-like face. "I bet you are all wondering what's happening."

"Let us go!" A Gryffindor girl stood up to Alecto. She was taller than the Death Eater and had the Gryffindor bravery, but she also had the rash thinking that came with most Gryffindors. "We have done nothing except try and learn here! You have no right to-"

"I have no right?" Alecto repeated, cackling. She laughed loudly and the Gryffindor girl looked confused but refused to back down. "You, my dear, are the one who has no right. No right to carry that wand, or to even walk these halls. Only those pure of blood deserve that honor."

"You mean someone like you?" Another Gryffindor girl asked sarcastically. Alecto's smile faded and she scowled at the two fourteen year olds.

"You won't be so confident after you stand trial," Alecto said. I frowned: what did she mean by standing trial? none of the Gryffindors looked like they knew what she was talking about either, because they were glancing at each other with uncertainty.

Suddenly, Alecto grabbed the two Gryffindors by the collars of their shirts and Apparated away, taking the girl with her. She came back half a second later and did the same with all the Muggle-borns two by two until they were all gone. Then she left the room with an evil grin on her face and she disappeared into the Great Hall.

I ran back to the magpie tapestry and disappeared through the wall. I wasted no time running up the tunnel; I had to tell Ginny and Luna what was happening. When I came through the other magpie tapestry door, I found Neville standing with Ginny and Luna. It looked like they were explaining to him what was happening.

"Calla, you're back," Luna said. Neville looked up to me and we all ducked into the Room of Requirement. I was faintly surprised to see that it had transformed back into the D.A headquarters. Then I gave a hurried explanation of everything that had happened in the extra room. By the time I finished, everyone was silent and Neville looked like he was in deep thought.

"You know what I think?" He asked. We all looked at him questioningly. "I think it's time that Dumbledore's Army made a comeback."


	5. 5: The Blood Test

No announcements for the return of Dumbledore's Army were made at all. Neville wanted to make sure that everything would be perfect for the group to get back together, and to welcome new members. Also, it was time for the sixth years to get blood statuses checked.

As always, Hufflepuff went first. I waited outside with the other Slytherins in my year while the Hufflepuffs finished their tests. When the doors finally opened, only nine Hufflepuffs came out, showing just how many Muggle-borns there were. I exchanged a nervous glance with Astoria and she followed me as I stepped into the Great Hall. I noticed that every Slytherin in my year was right behind me, but I figured that they didn't want to go in first. So I didn't think much of it.

Amycus Carrow was waiting for us as we entered. The wide doors slammed behind us and I looked over my shoulder to see that Alecto had shut them with an evil grin on her face.

"Welcome you sixth year Slytherins," Amycus called over all of us. "Your House is the purest of them all, so I need not worry about _your _blood status. If it were up to me, Slytherin would be excused from these trials. But it is not, our orders come from the Dark lord himself, and he wants only the best in his ancestor's House. And so we begin; do we have any volunteers to go first?"

I stepped forward. Amycus narrowed his eyes at me but gestured me forward anyway and led me behind a curtain at the far end of the Great Hall. There were two chairs behind it. Amycus gestured for me to sit and I did, causing him to sit across from me.

"Give me your hand," Amycus ordered. I obeyed, glaring at him the whole time. Amycus drew his wand and grasped my hand tightly. Then he placed the wand tip right on my wrist and I felt fire sear through my veins.

I gritted my teeth to keep from crying out. And as the pain intensified, visions flitted across my mind.

There was Tully and two people who looked like her parents, my grandparents. They all had wands and looked extremely proud. I found my nose in my grandfather's face. Then that vision vanished and the pain intensed as I saw my father's side of the family. Without even really knowing how, I knew that Dad's dad had been a Muggle and that my grandmother's father had been a Muggle. The pain ebbed in my arm until it left completely and the visions ceased.

"Hm," Amycus said thoughtfully. "You have Muggle blood on your father's side. But it's thin enough for you to be let off with a warning. Go on and send the next person in."

I got up and sent the next person in without thinking about anything else. Amycus had made having Muggle blood sound like it was someone's own fault. As I took a seat, I buried my face into my hands. If this was how Amycus was testing people for their blood status, there was no way that anyone could fool it. No wonder the amount of missing Muggle-borns was this high. I did know one thing though; there was no doubt about it: Dumbledore's Army needed to make a comeback, and that meant that I had to get the rest of the Slytherins on my side.


	6. 6: In Charge

The absence of the Muggle-borns took a toll on the rest of Hogwarts. Even the nonchalant Slytherin students were somber and grave. And as the first few weeks went by, it became obvious who was in charge at the school now.

Alecto Carrow now taught Muggle Studies. Though the way she taught the now required class, you would think that Muggles were zoo animals. Amycus taught Defense Against the Dark you might as well call it Dark Arts. He made sure that we knew about the three Unforgivable Curses and said that we were going to practice them on any students who received detention.

Dad was nowhere to be seen. He never wandered the corridors and he almost never showed up to dinner and instead had dinner in his office. Some of the students came over to me to question it, but once they realized that I had no clue, they left me alone. I was curious as to what he was doing, but there was never any time to go see him.

Because of the crammed lessons in Muggle Studies, I had class not only with my year, but also the seventh years. I sat between Ginny and Draco, which was very awkward for both of them. But I quickly told them to get over it and that shut both of them up. They started to complain but thought otherwise.

Alecto stood in front of us and glared at everyone. "As we all know, Muggle Studies is now a required class. If I find out that anyone else skips it, you will be punished most severely, as ordered by the Dark Lord himself."

I glanced at Draco. The Carrows had been threatening to punish everyone "most severely" for the past few weeks now. I was worried what they meant by that and by the fact that they hadn't punished anyone yet. I wasn't exactly looking forward to when they finally decide to punish people.

I heard someone snort behind me. I wanted to glance around but forced myself not to; the last thing that person needed was to earn Alecto's attention. Alecto started to go into a rant about how Muggles were filth. That person behind me kept snorting and making noises at the things that Alecto was saying and I wasn't the only person noticing.

Several people in the front of the class were turning heads to get a look at the boy scoffing at Alecto's teachings. I managed to keep Ginny and Draco from looking back there but I couldn't control everyone. Finally, Alecto noticed the noises to and glared at the person behind us.

"Can I help you, Mr. Longbottom?" Alecto snarled.

I whipped around. What was Neville doing? He glared at Alecto with hatred in his eyes but he also looked more focused than I had ever seen him. He knew exactly what he was doing. But why was he intentionally making Alecto angry?

Neville sat forward in his seat, looking determined. "Yeah; you keep going on about how filthy Muggle blood is, but the real question is how much Muggle blood is in you and your brother?"

A collective gasp sounded from all around the classroom. I glanced nervously at Alecto. Her face turned dark red with blood and her face was twisted with rage. She started to walk slowly towards Neville, her footsteps echoing in the big classroom. When she reached him, I could feel my heartbeat in my throat.

"Repeat your question, Mr. Longbottom." Alecto spoke quietly. Neville met her gaze without blinking.

"How much Muggle blood is in your veins?"

It happened in a flash. Alecto slashed her wand through the air and Neville was blasted back with a spurt of blood. I stood up with the rest of the class as they all tried to get a good look at what had happened to Neville. I stared at the long gash in the side of Neville's face.

Neville looked like he had been expecting the blow. He reached up to his face and dabbed at the blood and stared at it. Alecto glowered at him from above. "Next time, it'll be your tongue that gets slashed." With that, she whipped around on her heel and stormed back to the front of the class, snapping at people to sit down as she went.

I turned back to Neville on the floor. He got back to his feet and took his seat, as if nothing had happened. He met my eyes and shook his head, telling me to wait until the end of class.

Alecto taught the rest of hour and everyone was forced to pretend that she didn't attack a student. I noticed how several students looked like they wanted to protest, but they had the sense to keep their mouths shut. When the bell rang for the next class, I walked out the door like normal but this time waited for Neville. Draco took the Slytherins ahead and Ginny, Luna, and I ambushed Neville and pulled him into an abandoned classroom.

"What the hell was that about?" Ginny snapped as soon as the door was closed. Luna pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Neville. He dabbed at it and tried to clean up the majority of the blood before he answered.

"I had to see what she meant by punishment. And I had to show everyone what they meant."

"So it was all your plan to get punished?" I asked, questioning Neville's sanity at the moment.

He nodded. "When people see how the Carrows punish people, they won't hesitate to join a group that will protect them."

"You mean Dumbledore's Army?" Luna asked in her dreamy voice.

"But how are we supposed to protect them?" I asked. "Dumbledore's Army was created to teach them, not protect them. How would you want us to do that?" Neville blinked and shrugged.

"I'm not entirely sure. But we can't just sit by and do nothing. Neither Harry or Dumbledore would want that."

I exchanged a glance with Ginny. Neville had a point. So we all agreed to help Neville with showing everyone what the Carrows were capable of.

Even if it meant getting hurt.


	7. 7: Bent

A group of first years got detention. Amycus Carrow brought them into Dark Arts class and had them stand in the front of the class. I watched them with cautious eyes. What exactly was Amycus planning to do with these four? They looked like they were about to wet their pants.

"As you know class," Amycus began. "We have been studying the three Unforgivable Curses. And my sister and I have been telling the school that all trouble-makers will be punished severely. And so we have decided to combine your studies with school punishment."

What?

I stared at Amycus in disbelief. He couldn't be serious. Did he really want us to practice the Unforgivable Curses on these first years? One of the eleven year old girls let out a sob and covered her mouth. I glanced at Luna and Ginny. They had the same expression on their face: shock.

The rest of the class was feeling the same way. Astoria raised her hand tentatively and when Amycus called on her, she said nervously, "Are we really going to practice those curses on these kids, sir? Doesn't it seem a bit drastic?" Amycus narrowed his eyes at her and snarled.

"Yes I expect you to. If you don't, then you can expect the same punishment to be transferred to yourself." Amycus finished with a loud snarl. Everyone stared at him in shock. Amycus glanced around the room until his gaze landed on me. "Miss Snape, why don't you take on the first trouble-maker?"

I stood up reluctantly. The first year that Amycus wanted me to attack was a small sandy blond boy with a face full of freckles and bright blue eyes. Amycus walked up behind him and shoved him forward. The sandy haired boy looked over his shoulder to the sobbing girl and gave her a nod, trying to reassure her that he'd be fine.

"Point your wand at his heart; it'll cause the most pain." Amycus instructed me, staring at my every move like a hawk. I raised my wand just as he instructed and I heard a few of my classmates suck in their breath. They didn't expect me to do this.

Amycus walked around the boy to stand right beside me. "Good; your wand arm is steady just like a natural-born dueler. Now go ahead and say the words and punish this delinquent."

There was a long pause in which no one breathed. Then with one fluid motion of my arm, I tossed my wand to the ground and turned around to face Amycus. "I'm not going to harm an innocent student."

Amycus drew himself to his full height. "You will unless you want to take his punishment for him."

"I'll take the punishment for _all _of them." I told him firmly. Astoria gasped from behind me but I ignored her.

Amycus stared me down before grinning evilly. "Have it your way." His wand flashed out of nowhere and he screamed, _"Crucio!"_

I fell to the ground and screamed. It felt as though my blood was on fire. I couldn't breath; I couldn't think. At least I couldn't think about anything other than the pain. I could vaguely hear my classmates screaming and objecting but Amycus wasn't letting up. Not until all four first years had their punishments through me.

After what felt like years, Amycus let up on the torture curse. I gasped and pressed my forehead into the cold floor. Hot tears slid down my face and I squeezed my eyes shut. Amycus was yelling at some students. I glanced up to the classroom; Ginny and Luna were standing up and screaming at him, but I couldn't make out any of the words.

The first years scurried from the room. I stood up on shaking feet. Ginny and Luna were by my side almost immediately and they helped me keep on my feet. Amycus yelled at them to get back to their seats. My friends ignored his direct order and guided me out of the class.

We were halfway down the hall when I managed to find my feet. I still allowed Ginny and Luna to help me get to an abandoned classroom. We rested there for at least ten minutes before I spoke.

"I think it's time to tell Neville that we're ready. If the D.A is going to form again, then we need to kick it off; let people know about the Carrows and their idea of punishment."

"Well, don't worry about that." Ginny said with a snort. "Our class will pass the story on to the entire year and their friends in other years and those four first years will tell their whole year. If Neville wanted the word out about the Carrows, he sure got it out."

"Well, what now?" Luna asked. I cleared my throat and stood up.

"It's time; Hermione and Harry wanted us to keep an eye on the school and keep them as protected as possible. I guess it's time that the D.A got back together. Though I think it's been time for a long time." I looked at both of my friends. "Ginny, let Neville know. We'll meet in a few days."


	8. 8: Pompeii

Moonlight streamed through the corridors as I made my way down it. The Carrows had no idea I was out of my Common Room. But I had to figure out a few routes for future D.A members. This was on Neville's orders, and it seemed like a good enough plan, so here I was.

I could've sworn that I heard footsteps behind me but when I turned around, there wasn't anyone there. I swallowed and told myself to stop stressing out over nothing. So I continued my way down the pitch dark corridors. Soon I made it to the Room of Requirement, or where it should've been.

"What d'you think you're doing?"

I yelped and spun around to find myself facing a tall shadow. The faint light from the torches were coming from behind him, so I couldn't see a single detail on this man's face. But I did know that he was too tall for Carrow and his hair was too short for Dad.

"I'm...I'm a prefect and I have a right to be out here in the corridors at night," I lied quickly. "Who are you and what are _you _doing out here at night?"

He didn't answer right away and at first I thought that I had frightened him a bit. But then he laughed roughly. It was a laugh that I recognized...

"I know all the prefects faces, little Snape." Castamere said with a drunk carelessness. "And you're not one o' them. Besides, I've got more o' a right to be out here than you do." He walked away from me and to one of the windows that was allowing moonlight in and the Death Eater was bathed in silver light. "So I'll ask you again: what d'you think you're doing out of bed?" He produced a bottle from the inside of his robes and took a large swig from it.

I wasn't sure how to answer. I got closer to him; if he was going to give me detention or something (which I was sure that he could do) he would've done it already. "I've got a job to do." I told him. Castamere closed his eyes and jerked his head, as if flicking away an annoying bug.

"A job from who?"

I didn't answer and Castamere opened his eyes and stared out of the window. "Fine then, don't answer me. But when I go reporting to your father tomorrow evening, don't think that this exchange will go unnoticed."

"Wait-no!" I said without thinking. Castamere gave me a triumphant grin and took another swig from the bottle. Amber liquid dripped from the bottle and down his chin. I glared at him. "I'm not doing a job for my dad but I'm doing a job nonetheless. And it would be greatly appreciated by all parties that you didn't blow the plug on it."

Castamere chuckled. "You make a strong case, little Snape. Like father like daughter." Another drink from the bottle. Castamere swayed a bit on the spot.

A few years ago, I would've been complemented by this statement. But now I felt slightly sick to my stomach at it. "What are you doing here, Castamere?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Your father made the announcement at the beginning of the year, I believe, about a guest staying here at Hogwarts. That's me." Another swig. More amber liquid missed his mouth and spilled onto his chest. Castamere didn't even notice. "I'm here for guarding duty. Though I'm not quite sure on what I'm supposed to be guarding."

My ears perked up. "You're here to guard something? What is it?" Castamere shrugged and took another drink; he was almost out of it now.

"At first I thought that it was the students. But with the whole Muggle-born status checking, I don't think so anymore." He belched a bit. "The Dark Lord is never crystal clear on what he wants you to do. You'll learn that lesson soon enough, once this God forsaken war is over."

There was a long pause in which Castamere's eyes got really watery really fast. "She warned me, you know." Castamere told me in a tired voice. The bawdiness that had been in his voice was gone; this was the most sober he had been all night. "Lucy warned me not to get involved in this Death Eater business. She told me that the only thing that would come from it was death and destruction. Now she's buried in the ground, dead." He paused and gripped the bottle tighter. "I would give anything to be the same."

He made a move to take another swig from the almost-empty bottle, but I quickly grabbed his hand and gently pried the bottle out of his hand. Castamere locked his stormy gray eyes on mine.

"The things we love the most are the ones that end up destroying us, I find. Remember that, girl." Castamere said slowly. Then he turned his back to me and started the slow descent to his quarters. I watched him go, feeling as if someone had just punched a hole into my chest. When the sound of Castamere's footsteps had completely faded away, I sat the bottle down on the windowsill and started to head for the Slytherin Common Room.


End file.
